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Bartender To Serve Time

A district court in the southwestern city of Hokksund, Norway says it could not hold a 32-year-old bartender liable for the death of a customer itself, but it could hold him accountable for illegally serving alcohol to a clearly intoxicated person.

The court said the bartender tricked the victim into excessive behavior by drinking water instead of alcohol during a drinking contest. "In the court`s opinion, it is hard to imagine a more serious case of excessive alcohol serving."

The bartender, whose name was withheld, pleaded guilty to serving 34-year-old Leif Henning Nilsen 19 shots of the Mexican liquor in 90 minutes. Nilsen lost consciousness and died three days later. Excessive drinking can cause alcohol poisoning, overwhelming the ability of the liver to process the liquor or beer.